Most of us can only dream of having the ability of most footballers, and to have the skills to feature in two sports at elite level are all but impossible.
From Champions League heroes to current top Serie A talent, some footballers have shown that they can easily move on and perform in other fields.
Sporting Life's Tom Carnduff takes a look at those who have featured elsewhere.
Victor Lindelof – Ice Hockey
The Manchester United defender has shown that he’s not just a £35m defender but also a decent talent on ice.
The Swedish international make the switch to Old Trafford in June 2017 but has made the headlines in recent weeks due to his efforts in Altrincham. Lindelof linked up with UK Elite League ice hockey team Manchester Storm to participate in a training session and showed that he is capable of playing more than one sport.
The 23-year-old took part in various drills and also showed silky skills to beat Storm goaltender Mike Clemente with a penalty shot. Speaking to Manchester United's official YouTube channel, Lindelof said: "I started playing when I was very young. I have two brothers who play ice hockey in Sweden and we grew up watching ice hockey.
"I think I was good at it. I was going from football training to ice hockey training, so it was two trainings a day, but when you're young it is no problem, just for fun. It's a long time since I was on the ice."
Sweden have been competing in the ice hockey at the Winter Olympics, so keep an eye out for a potential new inclusion in 2022…
Jerzy Dudek – Motor Racing
Everyone’s favourite jelly-legged goalkeeper is not only a penalty hero, but has taken up motor racing in his life after football. In 2014, he competed in the Volkswagen Castrol Cup, a racing championship held in circuits around Eastern Europe during the summer months.
Dudek is best remembered for being a key figure in Liverpool’s historic Champions League victory in 2005, denying AC Milan’s Andriy Shevchenko with a crucial double save towards the end of added time.
Speaking to FourFourTwo in 2014, Dudek said: "My position in goal is about making quick decisions during the game. When you are racing in the car, you have to do the same, especially when you have to defend or attack, and control the car. This has helped me keep my focus and concentration, and maintain my physical ability to be a good driver."
Andre Villas-Boas – Dakar Rally
The former Tottenham manager actually left a position in football to compete in the 2018 Dakar Rally. Villas-Boas quit Chinese side Shanghai SIPG to take part in the race, following in the footsteps of his uncle who featured in the 1982 edition.
It was a first run to forget for Villas-Boas though, as he was forced to pull out after damaging his back during the fourth stage in Peru. He was two hours, 18 minutes and 50 seconds behind the leader after the third stage but had to call it a day after his Toyota Hilux hit a sand dune. It’ll be interesting to see if he goes back into management or pursues his racing ambitions.
Ivan Perisic – Beach Volleyball
Perisic was heavily linked with a move away from Inter in the summer, and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United were said to be interested in bringing him to Old Trafford. He’s a top talent on the wing and is one of Croatia’s star players, but the Croatian is also skilled at beach volleyball.
Perisic took part at the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, participating in the Porec Major tournament, a professional competition, partnering Niksa Dellorco. His hopes of volleyball success were short-lived though, with the pair losing their first match against Alvaro Morais Filho and Saymon Barbosa.
We could see him in the Premier League soon, but perhaps he’ll be looking for somewhere close to the coast.
Tim Wiese – WWE
Standing at 6'4", it’s perhaps surprise that German goalkeeper Tim Wiese moved into wrestling as his footballing career entered its latter stages. He’d been capped by his country and made almost 200 appearances for Werder Bremen, and his wrestling adventure began when he appeared as a guest timekeeper at a WWE live event in Frankfurt in 2014.
In 2016, it was reported that Wiese had accepted Triple H's invitation to train at the WWE Performance Centre. He then made his professional wrestling debut at a WWE live event in Munich in November 2016, teaming up with Sheamus and Cesaro to defeat The Shining Stars and Bo Dallas. ‘The Machine’ has a finishing move of the ‘running splash’ but is capable of throwing in the ‘double rolling vertical suplex’ and ‘powerslam’ when required.
Clive Allen – American Football
Best remembered when for scoring 49 goals in all competitions for Tottenham during the 1986/87 season, Clive Allen enjoyed a football career spanning 17 years and 10 clubs.
Despite retiring from the game in 1995, he was recruited to play for the London Monarchs in the World League of American Football two years later. The Monarchs lasted all of seven years, but did pick up the World Bowl championship in their first year in 1991.
During the season that Allen was there, they posted four wins and six defeats in 10 games, finishing bottom of the standings. The former Spurs striker came up against Rhein Fire, Barcelona Dragons, Scottish Claymores, Amsterdam Admirals and Frankfurt Galaxy during his time in the league, playing as a placekicker and recording a 70% success rate with his conversions.
